Jaguar Population by Country 2024

Jaguars are found in the Americas and range from South America to Central America, Mexico, and the United States. The country with the most jaguars is Brazil, with 86,800. The remote parts of the Amazon basin are the last hold-out for the wild jaguars, where they are further away from humans and under less pressure from habitat loss and hunting. The fewest are found in the United States. They are nearly extinct in the USA, with only 55 remaining. Mexico has a protected biodiversity area in the Yucatan Peninsula to help the jaguars.

The Threat to Jaguars

Humans are the biggest threat to jaguars. Even in protected areas, they are hunted and killed by poachers who want to sell their fur, heads, and other body parts. They are killed by ranchers and farmers to protect their livestock from attacks. Over the past twenty to forty years, the global jaguar population declined by half.

To save the majestic jaguars, we need to take steps to preserve their habitat, reduce poaching, and lower the conflicts with farmers and ranchers. When jaguars are in danger or are a threat to humans and other animals, they can be moved. The best practices are using a safe, tranquilized, capture-and-release method, which moves the animals to a remote area away from people.

Conservation Efforts

The Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary is a 400-square-kilometer area of natural habitat in the country of Belize. Jaguars can, on occasion, be sighted in the sanctuary. Another protected area is the Manú National Park in Peru. It is 15,000 square kilometers. The stunningly beautiful sanctuary, Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve in Mexico, is 5,300 square kilometers. The Xingu National Park in Brazil is the largest protected area, with 26,000 square kilometers.

In the United States, the few remaining jaguars are occasionally sighted by conservationists in the southwestern parts of the country in the less-populated areas of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. The federal Endangered Species Act protects jaguars. The jaguars like to live in the deep forest near a water source such as a river. They like to hide in the dense foliage to stalk their prey.